Ray Bradbury's fantastic imagination resulted from his past as a young boy. Bradbury was an imaginative hard working boy who lived in a small town of Waukegan, Illinois. Virtually every early description of teen-age Bradbury by a personal acquaintance speaks of unfailing ability, puncture-proof good nature, constant buffoonery, and self-effacement (Moskowitz 357). He has written many intriguing tales of science-fiction including Fahrenheit 451, The Martian Chronicles, and Something Wicked This Way Comes. During his childhood, two magicians, Mr. Electrico and Blackstone, inspired him greatly. Bradbury's early acquaintances with the theatre, evoked the fear about which he often writes. Bradbury was also familiar with many classic books and writers. Ray Bradbury's experiences as a child led him to the life of writing odd, mysterious novels, which distinguishes him from other science fiction writers.

Around the age of twelve, a young Ray Bradbury wandered into the Dill Brothers Carnival, in which he met two magicians, Mr. Electrico and Blackstone. These two men would have a great effect on Bradbury and his interests. Mr. Electrico knighted the twelve-year old Ray Bradbury with his electric sword and said: "Live Forever" The kid from Waukegan thought that was the greatest thing he had ever heard (Schoettler 4E). Bradbury's collection of stories, The Illustrated Man came from the afternoon he met the "Tattoo Man" while wandering through the carnival with Mr. Electrico (Schoettler 4E). Bradbury began his writing in earnest at the end of the summer of 1932, the summer after Mr. Electrico arrived in Waukegan with the Dill Brothers Carnival (Schoettler 4E). The other magician, Blackstone, was also performing in the Dill Brothers Carnival. Bradbury developed his interest in drama and acting, and, after witnessing a performance by the magician Blackstone, a lifelong passion for magic (Johnson 2). Without these influences in Bradbury's life, his writing style would most likely be different or fail to exist altogether.

The theatre also gave to Bradbury's colorful and enigmatic style. His mother, Esther Bradbury was a great film buff, and she passed the enthusiasm on to her son (Johnson 1). His mother, fascinated by the newfound motion picture shows, often took young Ray into these mysterious, dark theatres, where he watched silent-movies in wide-eyed wonder (Nintzel 2). Bradbury remembers the darkness of the theatres, where he developed a fear of the dark. Bradbury said that you have to know fear and apprehension before you can write about it (Moskowitz 355).

Bradbury's fascination with fantasy also grew from the large amount of books he read during his childhood years. Bradbury had always a fascination with fantasy because before he could read, his mother read him the Oz Series and his aunt let him have Edgar Allen Poe straight (Moskowitz 355). When he was old enough to choose his own reading material, the boy rapidly developed a fondness for the stories of Edgar Rice Burroughs and the comic book heroes Flash Gordon, Buck Rogers, and Prince Valiant (Johnson 1). As a child, Bradbury was also encouraged to read the classic Norse, Roman and Greek myths (Johnson 1).

All of these influences show up in many of the novels he has written, such as The Ray Bradbury Stories, The Illustrated Man, Dandelion Wine, Fahrenheit 451 and The Martian Chronicles . The magicians and the circus gave his books the mysterious settings of Stendahl's House of Horrors, and the weird Martian insane asylum. They also showed through in some of the bizarre characters such as Stendhal, Tomas Gomez, and the telepathic alien. The theatre contributed to his fear of the dark which was used to horrify the reader in The Martian Chronicles during the murder of the expedition team, and in Stendahl's House of Horrors. Some of the movies also sparked his interest in the future and how he saw a lack of human respect in the future, as in the high-speed high-ways in which hundreds were killed in Fahrenheit 451. The classic books he read also sparked ideas for plots for some of the novels he has written, such as The Martian Chronicles, and Fahrenheit 451. The comic books gave him some ideas about futuristic powers and influenced his view of heroes. These views showed through in the dangerously brave characters of Montag and Ylla. Montag was a brave fireman in Fahrenheit 451 who went against every law of society just to read a book. Ylla was a Martian in The Martian Chronicles who went against the wishes of her husband when she embraced the humans. These influences provide for him an addictive style of writing that keeps the reader dangerously close to the novel. An example of this is the murder of the expedition team in The Martian Chronicles. Bradbury creates the feeling of tension and the reader almost feels the horror when the captain realizes the house is an elaborate trick, and he is about to be killed.

Without the presence of these events and happenings in the life of Ray Bradbury, he would not be the writer that he is today. Without those influences, his unique and addictive style of writing would not exist. Ray Bradbury's experiences as a child led him to the life of writing odd, mysterious novels, which distinguishes him from other science fiction writers.